Sedulo Group, has appointed Laura Duggan as the new Head of Corporation Tax, based out of the Manchester office.
The news follows the recent regional appointment of Billy Green as Managing Partner in Sedulo’s Manchester office.
Laura joins Sedulo from Azets, with more than 20 years of experience in both large regional and international accountancy practice. Laura’s wealth of experience will further strengthen the firm’s corporate tax offering. Her expertise includes M&A tax, group reorganisations and restructuring, employee shares schemes and incentives, succession planning, capital gains tax, creative reliefs & R&D Tax Relief claims.
She said: “I’m really excited to be joining the team at Sedulo. It’s a really exciting time for the group as a whole and their ambition and dedication to the owner-managed sector aligns with my personal objectives, so it’s the perfect fit for me.”
Sarah Richards, National Head of Tax, welcomed Laura, saying: “We have no doubt her experience, knowledge and work ethic will prove invaluable and we look forward to seeing the positive impact she’ll have on our team.
“Laura joins the company at a period of significant opportunity, as we continue to strengthen our brand reputation, sector expertise, and tax specialisms in the mid-tier market.”
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Eoin Gribben
Audit, tax and consulting firm, RSM UK, has appointed Eoin Gribben as a Business Transformation Director in Manchester, as part of the firm’s growing national consulting team.
Eoin’s strategic hire brings more than 13 years of experience, having spent the past 10 years in deal advisory working with large corporates and private equity companies across a range of industries. He joins RSM UK from KPMG where he had spent his career to date.
Eoin specialises in technology due diligence and complex divestment programmes, helping businesses leverage technology to enhance their business value and manage risk during all stages of a deal.
He said: “It’s brilliant to have joined RSM UK at such an exciting time. There is so much opportunity to help businesses better articulate and realise the value of their technology.”
Joel Segal, Partner and Head of Business Transformation at RSM UK, said: “Eoin brings a wealth of experience to our business transformation offering and he will play a key role leading our technology due diligence and advisory services. This is necessary for many of our clients looking to evolve their digital, data and risk capabilities, especially in the deal context, and I’m excited to see Eoin and the team help our clients assess and implement new technologies to support their strategic business needs.”
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Adam Handley
Specialist real estate asset and investment manager, Catella APAM, has appointed Adam Handley as Asset Manager in its Manchester office, marking a strategic addition to its growing asset management team.
With more than a decade of high level experience in real estate, Adam’s arrival strengthens Catella APAM’s commitment to delivering exceptional value, performance, and growth across its portfolio.
Having started his real estate career immediately from school, Adam has accumulated a diverse portfolio of achievements that span multiple asset classes, including office, industrial, and mixed-use properties.
Adam has executed numerous high impact projects, such as the repositioning of a 400,000 sq ft multi-let office campus for a leading investment group.
In his role at Catella APAM, Adam will be dedicated to Danish pension fund Britannia, and the Greater Manchester Pension Fund – two key portfolios within Catella APAM’s responsibility.
Adam said: “Joining Catella APAM offers an unparalleled opportunity to impact communities and drive real change within the commercial real estate sector. I look forward to strengthening my presence within Manchester and the broader UK market, cultivating relationships with local stakeholders, and adding to the firm’s exceptional reputation.”
Nathan Reidy, Associate Director at Catella APAM, said: “Adam’s proven expertise and proactive approach make him a perfect fit for our team. We’re confident that he will play a pivotal role in elevating our client offerings.”
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Christophe Geroges
Bentley Motors has appointed Christophe Georges as Board Member for Sales and Marketing, reporting to Chairman and CEO, Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser, effective from December 1, 2024.
Christophe, whose career at Crewe-based Bentley spans 26 years, has been promoted from his previous role as Global Sales and Marketing Director.
In a wide ranging career with the luxury British marque, Christophe has held global positions ranging from Director of Marketing and Product Strategy, to President and CEO of Bentley’s largest region, Bentley Americas, holding that role twice for nearly 15 years, from 2007-2015 and 2019-2024.
In his time in North America, Christophe directed record sales and profitability, while growing the retailer network to 60 dealerships.
Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser said: “It is a pleasure for me to welcome Christophe to the Bentley Board of Management, a promotion richly deserved following his expertise, leadership and commitment to Bentley over such a long period.
“With his comprehension of international markets, strategic understanding of our brand direction, and deep-rooted knowledge of Bentley’s DNA, Christophe is perfectly placed to realise our brand and sales ambitions as we continue to evolve our business.”
Christophe Georges said: “Bentley is in my blood and the company I joined in 1998 is very different to the one I am incredibly proud to be part of today.
“The journey so far has been extraordinary, and I am relishing the prospect of continuing to work closely with my colleagues to provide fresh momentum and direction as we grow our brand, our audience base, and our entire sales and marketing operations.”
Christophe replaces Alain Favey who left the business in May 2023.
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Simon Donohue
SEC Newgate has appointed Simon Donohue as the Associate Director of its Northern office.
He will lead a team based in Manchester and delivering strategic communications and local advocacy across the North.
A strategic communications professional, former journalist and editor, Simon joins SEC Newgate from Transport for Greater Manchester, where he supported the roll-out of the transformational Bee Network – GM’s vision for a fully integrated ‘London-style’ transport network – and led communications for the revised Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan.
Simon has worked in public and private sector communications for more than a decade, including serving as Greater Manchester Content Curator on behalf of the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership (now Greater Manchester Business Board) at Marketing Manchester, part of the Growth Company. He was previously part of the senior management team at independent Manchester-based PR consultancy Intelligent Conversation, with clients including United Utilities, EMIS Group, Pharmacy2U and Manchester Metropolitan University.
An NCTJ-qualified journalist and editor, Simon worked at the Manchester Evening News for 15 years, with stints on the business and features desks. He edited the MEN’s standalone business magazine, Greater Manchester Business Week. As a freelance journalist, he wrote for titles including Place North West, North West Business, Insider, Property Week, Estates Gazette and The Big Issue The North.
Perry Miller, Head of Advocacy Local, SEC Newgate UK, said: “Simon brings a wealth of experience, rooted in the North West, which will boost our ability to deliver positive change for our clients across the region.
“Fresh insight and analysis are at the core of our offer and Simon knows Greater Manchester like no one else. Our growing team, based in the heart of Manchester, is shaping the debates that affect our clients and the communities in which they work.”
Simon Donohue said: “It’s a great privilege to have been appointed to lead SEC Newgate’s Northern office. It enables me to draw on my extensive local knowledge and experience as part of a network of advocacy and strategic communication specialists who support the most recognised UK and international businesses in navigating the challenging political, regulatory and media landscape.
“I’m proud to have championed Greater Manchester and the North throughout my career, initially as a journalist and more recently as a strategic communications professional. I look forward to continuing that work at SEC Newgate.”
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Diane McKinley
North West construction and property consultants, Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB UK) has appointed senior associate, Diane McKinley as its North West lead for Schools & Further Education.
Based out of the Manchester office, Diane will enhance the company’s education estate management services within their built asset consultancy offering.
With more than 20 years of experience as a Chartered Building Surveyor across both private and public sectors, Diane joins RLB from Eric Wright Partnerships where she was Head of Building Surveying.
Diane is also Chair of the Construction Advisory Committee at Burnley College and a judge for the Themis awards in 2024 and 2025.
RLB partner, Sam Bensky, said: “Diane’s knowledge, and expertise complements our existing RLB team perfectly. Her understanding of educational estates challenges and her commitment to net zero initiatives will be invaluable to our clients. It’s great to have Diane as part of our ever-evolving RLB team.”
Diane McKinley said: “It’s exciting times joining the RLB team in the North West. I am looking forward to leveraging my education sector expertise and building surveying skills to benefit clients locally and nationally as part of the wider RLB team.”
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Richard Katz, left, and Justin Kelly
Glass Futures has appointed Justin Kelly as new CEO, while founding CEO, Richard Katz, is appointed President.
Justin is a Chartered Engineer with a BEng (Hons) in Computers, Management and Electronics. He began his career at Siemens where he held several roles over nearly three decades culminating in his appointment to the Siemens Executive Management Board in 2017.
Committed to driving innovation, Justin was the founding CEO of the Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing Centre in Greater Manchester to benefit both the economy and environment. In 2023 he became Non-Exec Chair of Sustainable Ventures North, an organisation dedicated to supporting sustainability-focused start-ups across the country.
Richard Katz, the first Glass Futures employee in January 2020, has been appointed President and will continue to work closely with the new government to help them understand how Glass Futures’ research, development and innovation enables growth, particularly with reference to identifying what works and, more importantly, what doesn’t work for industrial decarbonisation in the fight against climate change.
Aston Fuller, General Manager at Glass Futures, said “Having been the second employee at Glass Futures, I’m extremely proud to see the exponential growth of the organisation in such a short period of time. These important changes will support our growth and impact with our ever growing diverse membership across the global glass supply chain sharing our collaborative ethos, to our own team who’ve developed and grown our vision.”
This next phase of Glass Futures continues with new appointments to the Board of Directors, including Mike Houghton, Chief Commercial Officer of Process Industries Software at Siemens as Chair and José Miguel Ivorra, Vice President of Global Business Development at Guardian Industries in place of Dr Richard Hulme whose long term secondment is drawing to a close.
They are welcomed by current board members including newly established Deputy Chair, Adrian Curry, Executive Director and Chief Decarbonisation Officer at EET Fuels, Dr Ludovic Valette, Vice President of Technology and Engineering at O-I Glass, Inc. USA, Dave Dalton, CEO of The British Glass Manufacturers’ Confederation, Prof Anthony Hollander, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Liverpool, and Sean Murphy, Managing Director of Encirc.
Mike Houghton said “On behalf of the board we would like to thank Richard Katz for his valuable contributions over the last 10+ years as Chief Executive, turning a vision into reality. Also great thanks to Guardian Glass’s Dr Richard Hulme who was instrumental in ensuring Glass Futures’ technical strategy reflected our member’s needs.
“We welcome Justin to Glass Futures as we move into the next phase of the organisation’s evolution as an operational research facility. His wealth of experience in leadership, strategy, transformation, sustainability, marketing, governance and a passion for responsible business will be indispensable to the continued growth of Glass Futures towards a sustainable and innovative future.”
